“Telefone” by Noname Gypsy | Chicago’s Next Musical Threat

Chicago is on a hot streak. With homegrown artists like Chance the Rapper and Vic Mensa taking Hip Hop culture by storm, and rising artists Joey Purp and Mick Jenkins making names for themselves, it begs the question: who will be the city’s next great upstart?

Noname aka Noname Gypsy released her long awaited debut project Telefone, which utilizes off-kilter flows, unorthodox beats, and joyfully somber lyrics to create a musical offering like no other.

In the midst of a rap landscape filled with dark, cavernous trap beats and auto-tuned deliveries, the Chi-Town songbird stands out through soulfully rapping about intimate moments over playful production. At it’s core, Telefone serves as an outlet for Noname’s pain and joy accumulated through living in the chaotic, imperfect city of Chicago.

For example, “Diddy Bop” illustrates the double meanings she effortlessly creates; it can be heard as a call for good times or as a cry for help.

“Henny invented the catalyst for happiness in my cup”

This project is made perfect with the help of a few gifted friends including Saba, Raury, Jamila Woods, theMIND, and more.

Noname first caught Hip Hop listeners’ attention by being featured on Chance the Rapper’s “Lost” off his critically acclaimed 2013 mixtape Acid Rap. She is also featured on Chance’s latest project Coloring Book on the song “Finish Line/Drown”.

There’s a lot of promising artists out there putting out great work, but forget objectivity for a second: Noname is out here taking names, and with the grace only The Lord could provide.